Upright-piano action



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet l.

W. 0. ELLIS.

UPRIGHT PIANO ACTION. No. 356,109. Patented Jan. 18, 1887.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2. W. O. ELLIS. UPRIGHT PIANO ACTION;

Patent-ed Jan. 18, 1887.

(No Model) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

W. 0. ELLIS. I

UPRIGHT PIANO ACTION.

Patented Jan. 18, 1887.

I l I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM O. ELLIS, OF \VOROESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

UPRlGHT-PIANO ACTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 356,109, dated-January 18, 1887.

Application tiled August 24,1885. Serial No. 175,135. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

q represents another arm, which projects Be it known that I, WILLIAM C. ELLIs, of outwardly from the butt below the shoe 1), and

Worcester, in the county of \Voreester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Upright- Piano Actions, of which the following isaspeciiication.

lhis invention relates to upright-piano actions; and it consists, first, in the means employed for controlling the hammers so that a rapid repeating movement thereof can be secured, as in trilling, without liability of the hammer striking the strings accidentally; sec ondly, in the means employed for supporting the hammer after a blow has been given, and giving time for the jack to return to its starting-point under the butt; and, finally, invarious minor details, all of which I will now proceed to describe.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figures 1 and 2 rep sent vertical sections of a part of an upright piano, showing my improved action in elevation, the hammer being in different positions. Fig. 3 represents a front view of the hammerrail and a portion of the keys and the devices adapted to move the hammer-rail longitudinal] y. Fig. 4i represents a section on line a: m, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 represents a modification.

lhe same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.

In the drawings, a represents one of the keys of an upright-piano action, the same being mounted to oscillate upon the center pin, b, as usual.

0 represents the hammer-rail, to which are adjustably secured the hammer-flanges d.

0 represents one of the hammers,pivoted to the flange d, as usual.

6 represents the hammer-butt, against which bears the jackf. The jack is secured to a bellcrank lever, g, which is pivoted to an upright on a lever, 71, the latter being pivoted at z. to

a bracket on the fixed supporting-bar j, and at 7; to a supporting-rod, Z, the lower end of which is notched to receive a pin or pivot, m, on a vertical slotted post, a, connected by a screw, 0, to the inner end of the key a.

19 represents an arm or shoe projecting outwardly from the butt and having a curved upper surface covered with leather or other frictional and yielding material.

is preferably composed entirely of metal.

9' represents a post secured to the outer end of the lever h, and supporting at its upper end an elastic back check or stop, 8, which is preferably a piece of metal attached to the post 7', and curved so as to approximately fit the curved shoe p when the key is depressed and the hammer thrown forward, as shown in Fig. 2, said back check or stop bearing on the shoe and preventing the hammer from rebounding or striking accidentally, as hereinafter described.

t represents a lever pivoted to the post, and pressed upwardly at its swinging end by a spring, a. Said lever stands under the leverarm (1 of the hammerbutt, and has a curved surface, covered with cloth or other yielding material, which is pressed upwardly against said arm by the spring a, and not only presses the shoe 1) against the backstop s, but also supports the hammerand causes it to fall gradually after the release of the key, so that the jack can return to place under the butt before the hammer falls back to its starting position.

When the outer-end of the key is depressed, its inner end is raised, and raises the outer end of the pivoted lever h by means of the rod. Z. This movement of the lever h elevates the jack and causes the latter to throw forward the hammer o against the strings. At the moment that the hammer gives its blow the lever g, supporting the jack, strikes a stop, a, secured to a bar, 1 the jack being thus thrown forward from the butt until an arm, c, on the lever g strikes a cushion on the fixed bar j, and limits the forward movement of the jack. The butt is thus released, so that the hammer is free to be forced back from the strings by the pressure of a spring, d, which bears against the rear side of the hammer-butt and normally forces the hammer back from the strings. The forward movement of the hammer swings the shoe 1) upwardly into contact with the spring or back-stop s, the latter moving forward with the hammer. The curvature of the back-stop is such that in moving forward its pressure on the shoe 1) causes it to aid the spring d in moving the hammer backward, the shoe being thus forced backward until its lower end bears on a cushion or stop, e, at

tached to the post 9'. The spring or back-stop 8 now acts as a brake or governor on the hammer, its pressure on the shoe 1) preventing the hammer from moving or rebounding, so as to accidentally strike the strings when the blows of the hammer are being rapidly repeated, as in trilling. These devices, whereby the hammer is controlled after each blow, constitute an important part of my invention.

The spring-lever t, pressing against the arm q of the hammer-butt, also constitutes an important part of my invention, since it serves to press the shoep against the spring or backstop 8, thus increasing the holding effect of the latter, and also retarding the backward movement of the hammer when the key is released, thus giving the jack time to be forced by the springj" under thelever gbark to its starting position under the butt.

Fig. 5 shows a modification ot' the devices last described, in which the shoe 1) and arm (1 are the upper and lower edges of a single piece of wood or other suitable material, and the back-stop s and lever t are each metal springs attached to the post 1.

The back-stop s is adjusted by means of a screw, 9, which passes through the back-stop into the post 9', and serves to vary the pressure of the stop against the shoe. The post 2' is preferably made in two parts, 2 3, the part 2 being rigidly affixed to the lever 71.,while the part 3, which the adjustingscrew g enters, is capable of being turned on the part 2, so that the adjusting-screw an be brought into position to be easily operated. A set screw, it, secures the part 3 to the part 2.

The jack f is made of cylindrical or other equivalent form, (as hexagonah) and is mounted on ascrcw, 1', attached tothe lever g. By rotating thejack it will be raised or lowered on the screw, according to the direction of rotation, and thus adjusted vertically, as may be required, the described form of the jack enabling it to be rotated to any desired extent without changiugits operative relation to the butt.

It will be seen that by adjusting thejack independently, as described, there is no interference with the devices for stopping or checking the backward movement of the hammer, as is the case when the adjustment is eiiected at a point below the jack, as heretofore. The means [or independently adjusting the jack may be variously modified without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I am aware, however, that jacks positively connected with the butt ofa hammer have been made adjustable, therefore I make no broad claim to adjustable jacks.

The jack is preferably provided with a tip, f, of metal, which bears against the butt and receives the wear. The j ack is thus prevented from splitting or fraying where it bears on the butt, and is kept in a smooth condition.

The connecting-rod Z has in its lower end a slot, 7;, opening from its lower end, so that the rod can be raised and disengaged from the pin or pivot which enters said slot when it is desired to uncouple the key from the parts of the action operated by it. The post a is mounted 7o on a screw, 0, atlixed to the key, and can be adjusted vertically by being rotated on said screw, thus enabling the lever 72 to be adjusted as may be desired. The hannnerrail. is lon gitudinally'movable, as usual, so that the hammers can be ea used to strikeditl'ercnt numbers of strings, and thus vary the volume of tone. l

I support the hammer rail in a series of brackets, at, having set-screws a a, bearing, respectively, against the top and one of the la sides of the rail, and capable of adjustment to vary the pressure of the rail against one side and the bottom of each bracket.

A spring, 0, bearing against one end of the rail, normally holds the rail in position to cause its hammers to coincide with the maximum number of strings, (usually three.) A bell-crank lever, p, or other suitable device fulcrumed to the frame, and having one end in bearing contact with the projecting end of the hammer-bar and its other end connected with a rod adapted to be operated by the soft pedahwhich, upon being depressed, moves the railagainstthe force of the spring 0 when it is desired to decrease the volume of tone by causing the hammers to coincide with a smaller number of strings.

The slot in the key receiving the center pin, 6, is bounded or bushed by two adjustable inetalclothed plates, q q, secured to the key by screws passing through transverse slots 9' r in the plates. Said plates constitute metallic sides for the center-pin slot,which receive the wear resulting from the movement of the key on the pin and prevent the pin from indenting the key, so as to makethe latterloose and liable to slip laterally on the pin. The lateral adjustability of the plates q q enables the width of the slot to be decreased to compensate for wear on the slot and pin. The slot in the under side of the front end of the key which receives the guidepin s is bounded by similarly-adjustable metal plates i I claim- 1. The combination of the hammer having the butt and the curved shoe 1), the elastic curved spring governor or back-stop s,extending over the upper side of said shoe, and the spring-lever t, extendingbelow the under side of said shoe, as set forth.

2. The combination of the hammer having the butt and the cury'ed shoe 1), the elastic curved spring'governor or backstop s,and the stop 6, arranged at an angle with the spring stop 5, as set forth.

3. The combination of the hammer having the butt, the curved shoe p, and the arm q, the elastic curved spring-governor or back-stop s, the spring-lever t, or its specified equivalent,to bear on the arm q, and the means, substantially as described ,t'or operating said parts, as set forth.

at. Thehammer having the butt and shoep, combined with the curved spring or stop 8,

IIO

attached to asupporting-post, r,the said spring extending over the upper side of said shoe,

and the adjusting-screw g for said spring.

stop, substantially as set forth.

5. The post a, supporting the back-stop and its adjusting-screw, said post being made in two parts, one of which is adapted to turn on the other to permit access to the adjustingscrew of the back-stop, as set forth.

6. In a pianoaction, the combination of the hammer, the lever h, and the bell crank lever g, pivotally secured thereto and having the fixed arm 0 of the fixed rail or bar j, constituting a stop for the arm 0, to limit the movement of the lever in one direction, and the stop a, to limit the movement in the other direc tion, all substantially as set forth.

7. The combination of the lever h and the devices supported thereby,thel ey having the slotted post a, and the connecting-rod l, pivoted at one end to the lever and having at its opposite end an open. slot receiving a'pivot aflixed to the post, as set forth.

8. The movablehammer-rail combined with the guides or brackets, and the adj Listing-screws therein, as set forth.

9. The key having the pin-receiving slot or slots, and the adjustable metal plates constituting adjustable bushings for said slot or slots, as set forth.

10. The jack having a metal tip in contact with the hammer-butt, as set forth.

11. The combination of the hammer having the butt and the curved shoe 1), the curved governor or backstop s, conforming to and extending over the upper side of said shoe, and the spring-lever t, extending below the under side of said shoe, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I. have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 2lst day of August, 1885.

. \VILLIAM C. ELLIS. Witnesses:

O. F. BROWN. H. BROWN. 

